


Out of the Fire

by oORasulOo



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst with a Happy Ending, Comfort, Fire, Gen, Hurt, Hurt/Comfort, I think it's canon, Maybe canon Maybe not, Mentions of another planet, Modern Era, One Shot, Short One Shot, TARDIS - Freeform, Travel, no promises
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-18
Updated: 2017-08-18
Packaged: 2018-12-16 17:09:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11833239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oORasulOo/pseuds/oORasulOo
Summary: Alex is walking into a forest with a supposed wildfire in it. He doesn't see any smoke, but just to be sure he goes out into it to retrieve his brand new truck. Unfortunately, the fire is a lot closer than he thinks. Believing he is going to die (or maybe is already dead), Alex finds a shed completely unscathed by the flames and the heat. That can't be it though, can it? He must be seeing things, heat mirages or something.It's not a heat mirage, and it's not a shed. What is it, then?  How is it here, how does it exist without being burnt to a crisp like he himself almost is, and who is the woman who discovers him?





	Out of the Fire

**Author's Note:**

> Personally, I don't think this is my best story. Go ahead and give it a try, though.   
> I

 

Everything, black, white, glowing red, and in some places blue. The air is filled with smoke. My eyes sting as it gets into them. The trees scream as they’re eaten alive by the insatiable flame. I sympathize for them, as I also feel as if I’m being cooked alive.. and maybe I am. The glowing coals have long since burnt through my shoes, and I now walk barefoot over them. Every step is worse than the last, my feet cooking as I walk on them. Tears run down my soot covered face, clearing a path to my skin before being covered in ash again. My hair and beard is singed, but still I push on.

Nothing is recognisable. I can only guess to my direction, and only two things keep me from giving up and allowing myself to burn alive; The hope that I might get out of this flaming forest, and reuniting with my dog and my family.

It’s so loud.. The trees screaming, branches falling and hitting the ground, only for sparks to burst from it and fly, hitting my skin as I shelter my face from the burning glow. I keep moving forward, for it’s the only thing I can do. The roar of the flame bombards my ears. It’s like a monster, an ever hungry monster that has broken free from it’s cage and now eats everything it can reach, spreading farther and farther as the wind carries it along. I’m running. It’s so hot, but despite sweating, I’m dry. The heat licks the liquid from my skin. I search for any sign that tells me that I’m getting close to safety, and find nothing. I look for a pond or lake to cool my blistered skin, but see only charred wood, ash, coal, burning trees, and more fire.

I open my mouth and scream as loud as I possibly can, all my pain, longing and hope to get out of this scorching heat, all my despair, as my hope, too, is slowly being eaten by the flame, is focused on that moment.  _ Help, someone  _ **_please_ ** _ help me! _ My scream dies off into a sob. I’m wobbly on my legs, now, and forced into a jog. I’m too afraid to look at my feet for fear of what I’d see. I’ve been running for who knows how long in these glowing coals, and at some point they’d gone numb. It must be a third degree burn.. 

It’s so hard to breathe, now. It always has been, but it’s gotten worse. I can’t see a foot in front of me. I hope I don't run into a burning tree.. I wonder what’s going to happen first, my feet give out from beneath me and die from the flame, or myself suffocating from the smoke.

I’m about to just give up. I’m pretty sure I’m bald now, what hasn’t gone numb is absolutely excruciating, I’m not sure I have ears anymore, and I can’t  _ breathe _ . There’s no end to this place.. the flame is spreading faster than I can walk on my charred, burning legs and feet… if I still have feet. I can't even tell anymore and it’s so confusing here. Everything looks the same. Am I going in circles? The inside of my mouth taste like ash and smoke. I’m beginning to wonder if I’m really still alive or if I’ve died and this is hell.

In all the red, gray, blue, and black I see a small hut, unmarred by the flame. It’s blurred by the heat, and the part of my brain that isn’t boiling wonders if it’s a mirage. I go towards it, stumbling over a burning log. My hands and knees hit the glowing red ground, and I would have cried out if I could. I try to get back up, but only manage to push myself up halfway to stumble towards it. I collapse fifteen feet away.

This is it. I’m finally going to die. I cough, spit and ash dribbling out of my mouth as I try to breathe. “Please” I mouth, or I think I do, my lips have gone numb. I close my eyes.  _ I’m so sorry,  _ I think to my family,  _ I tried to get out, but I couldn’t.. I’m sorry I couldn’t find a way.. _

I feel myself being picked up and carried. Suddenly it’s so much cooler. I revel as the cold hits my burning skin, but whatever is carrying me is so hot. Hot, burning hot. I weakly try to squirm away from it, but it only tightens around me and I stop my attempt. 

I’m set down on something, and a moment later something so cold, so so nice and cold and  _ soothing  _ slowly begins to fill around me.  _ No more heat no more fire no more smoke. I still can’t breathe somethingGoingIntoMyNoseCan’tBreathe  _ I gasp, only for whatever it is to flood into my mouth and into my lungs. I try to cough it up, try to sit up, try to get away from it.  _ DrowningDrowningCan’tBreatheDrowningHelpPlease-  _ I’m stopped from sitting up any more by some sort of barrier or wall or something, I can’t tell because my eyes have crusted shut. 

Whatever sort of liquid that is filling this.. tank, or whatever it is completely fills it and I try to scream, try to struggle, try to get out to no avail. I try to hold my breath, but my lungs are full of ash and smoke and I can’t breathe, my lungs burn and sting like there’s still a fire in them and I suck a breath in against my own will. The thick liquid rushes into my lungs. I choke and try to get some  _ air  _ but there’s only the liquid and I’m drowning! 

The liquid completely fills my lungs. I try to force it out to no avail, and after a few more moments of struggling I find that I can actually breathe the stuff.  _ What?  _ Calming down a little, I take an experimental breath. I exhale, and the liquid that was in my lungs comes out dark and gray, but I can breathe. Wait, my eyes are open. I can open my eyes, I can see and my eyes don’t burn. With this discovery I look around. Everything is tinged an aquamarine blue, but the tank, or the thing I’m in, is transparent and I can see outside.

The room looks sterile, medical.  _ Where am I? _ I look to the right, and the same thing greets me. I look to the left and tense in surprise. A girl with wavy brown hair is standing there, watching me. I try to talk, but can’t.

“Don’t try to speak,” The woman tells me. It sounds like she’s talking to me through water, though technically she is, or through whatever this stuff is.  _ It’s a bit late for that, _ I think, but she continues. “You’re safe on my Tardis. I got your cry for help, just in time, it seems. You’re in what is called a mending bed. It’ll heal most of your wounds, rehydrate you, clean out your lungs, and other things. You should rest, it’ll help things along. That really took a toll on you.” She presses a button. I start to get sleepy, and before I know it my eyes are drifting closed and I’m falling asleep.

When I wake up, I’m breathing air again. I take a deep breath, savoring it, before opening my eyes. the bed I’m laying on is no longer encased in a dome. The liquid is gone, and I feel a lot better.

“Good morning,” a voice from beside me chimes. I turn my head in the direction of the voice to find the same woman who was talking to me before I fell asleep. “You can talk now. Your airway is completely cleaned out, and your lungs are good as new, if not better.” She tells me.

“Who are you?” I ask her, thoroughly confused about the situation. I sit up. “How are you not dead?”  _ How am I not dead? _

“My name is,” The woman seemed to pause for a split second, as if contemplating something, before continuing. “Nesbin, and I can almost ask the same for you. You probably wouldn’t have survived but a few minutes more before succumbing to suffocation from smoke inhalation.”

“Thanks for saving me.” I say, grateful. 

“No problem,’ She starts to say but I cut her off.

“No problem? You risked your  _ life _ going into a forest fire to get me.” I point out, incredulous. 

“I’ve been in worse scenarios than a forest fire, and I knew I’d probably be fine.” Nesbin tells me. I blink at her in disbelief.

“You’ve been in worse scenarios than being absolutely surrounded by fires burning hot enough to melt rubber, create second and third degree burns, and be at risk of a red-hot tree falling on you at any moment?” I say in disbelief.

“"I've been to planets where the leaves were made of smoke, and the branches,bark, and trunk of packed ash. The grass was of charcoal and the sky never saw the light of a star, instead the planet was warmed by the constant electricity in the clouds covering the entire planet. The only light you ever got was the constant flashing of lightning, and the noise was deafening.

“Instead of worrying about red hot limbs falling on me, I had to worry about getting struck by lightning. I had a 82% chance that I would be struck multiple times. I couldn’t so much as move without stirring up thick ash. If the ground where I walked was weak enough I’d fall through into the fiery lava pits below. All of this while being chased by aliens who want to torture me to death over the course of five years using multiple grotesque methods conjured up by only the most creative of the species, and that’s not even the worst of it. Yes, I have been in worse situations.” Nesbin states blandly.

I look at her in shock. Is she mad, or is she telling the truth, I wonder to myself as she turns her dark blue eyes away from me to look at a screen. “You’re good to go, just don’t smoke or anything for 24 hours, seven minutes, and 42 seconds.” 

“I can go home, then,” I say, sounding more excited than I expected, though I suppose I am excited. I get to see my family again. I smile at the thought.

“If you want to, sure.” Nesbin agrees, glancing at me. 

“Of  _ course  _ I want to,” I get off the bed, standing up. “I thought I’d never see them again.” I admit, somewhat quietly.

“Alright,” Nesbin sounded almost… disappointed at my answer. “Follow me, I’ll bring you home if you show me where it is.” She starts towards the door, opening it and leaving. She doesn’t bother to look back, she doesn’t have to since I’m right behind her. I lengthen my steps to come up beside her.  

“How big is this place?” I ask, having noticed the seemingly endless hallways and doors.

“I’m not entirely sure, I haven’t explored all of it yet. The inside of my tardis is currently about the size of Jupiter, if that helps any.”

“How is that possible, there’s no way something the size of  _ Jupiter _ could fit on  _ earth _ .” 

“There is a way, actually. I do it all the time, and I’m going to do it again to get you home.”

“I think I’ve gone mad.” I state. What else would explain me nearly dying, then…. whatever crazy stuff happened after that is still happening? Nesbin doesn’t reply, continuing to lead me down the long corridor. I’m caught off guard when she suddenly stops at a door and opens it, walking through. I stop for a moment before following her. 

“What is this?” I look around the huge room that seemed to have this odd round console that’s split into 6 sides with creme lightly glowing panels in the middle. A transparent vertical cylinder in the center has more cylinders with rounded tops moving up and down at seemingly random intervals. The whole thing in the middle is giving off a soft glow. It seems to be a very, very light, almost white maroon (or pink? red?) color, but it’s hard to tell. The whole thing is on a raised tile platform. The rest of the flooring is an almost opaque dark green glass-like substance that has silver veins running through it or something, but is surprisingly comfortable to walk on. There are vine-like struts holding up the domed ceiling, and the walls are made of a sort of cracked stone that has soothing green light emitting out of the cracks.

“It’s the console room.” Nesbin replies. “It’s also currently the main entrance and exit.” She says, nodding towards the door. “You can open it if you want, just don’t step outside without a tether.” I glance at her in confusion. Why would I need a tether? Curiosity piqued, I walk over to the door and cautiously pull it open. The pitch black of space greets me and I nearly slam the door shut again as a knee-jerk reaction. I just manage to stop myself once I realise if I was going to die I’d already be dead already. 

Calming down from my scare, I open the door however much I’d almost closed it and look out again. Down below is Earth, hovering, suspended in space by nothing but gravity. I look at it in awe. Nasa’s pictures of Earth from space just don’t cut it, this is…. I’m unable to find words as I watch my home from above. The atmosphere almost makes it look like it’s glowing. The dark side where it’s night is full of lights from the cities. It almost looks like stars, only on earth.

I don’t know how long I’d been standing there, watching my home planet revolve slowly around in space when I hear Nesbin’s voice behind me. “Beautiful, isn’t it?” 

I nod. “How is this possible?” 

“I’ve told you. We’re on a space-time ship in hover mode 100 miles above your planet.”

“You say ‘your planet’ as if it isn’t yours.” I comment, pulling myself away from the entrancing sight to look at her.

“It’s not.” Nesbin responds. “We should get you home. Where do you live?” She goes over to the console. I close the door, making my way over myself. I tell her the country, state, city, and so on. She puts them into a screen with odd looking circles in it. 

She pulls a lever and soon there’s a vibration that I’m going to guess is the movement of this… ship. There’s only a few minutes between taking off and landing. She pulls the same lever she pulled to get the ship moving before walking over to the door. Nesbin pauses, looking at me. “Are you sure you want to go?”

“I’m certain.” I say confidently. 

She nods. “Alright.” Taking the last step to the door, she pulls it open, revealing my house.  A grin makes it’s way onto my face as I step outside and make my way over to it. I open the door, which is unlocked, and step inside. 

“Alex?” My head jerks in the direction of the voice of my wife, Grace. When she sees me pure relief covers her face and she enveloped me in a tight hug that I gladly return. “I thought you’d died! I’m so glad you’re alive.” She murmurs into my chest. We stand there for a few minutes before she pulls away and looks at me seriously. “Don’t you ever go into a forest fire like that to get a measly truck again, you hear me?” 

“Loud and clear.” I respond honestly. She pulls me into another hug.

“I love you.” She tells me, releasing me and taking a step back.

“I love you, too.” I give her a kiss on the forehead and pull back, looking into her eyes lovingly. 

“Well, I suppose I’ll be off, then.” Nesbin’s voice sounds from behind us. I turn to look at her.

“Thank you.” I tell her, my eyes full of gratitude. “Grace, this is the woman who saved my life.” I semi-introduce them.

“Hello, It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m afraid I can’t stay long, I have some repairs to do to the configuration matrix. My name is Nesbin, by the way.”

“Oh, if there’s anything we can do to thank you?” Grace’s grip tightens on my arm.

“You don’t have to do anything, really. Saving your husband is thanks enough.” Nesbin replies, giving the woman a soft grin. She takes a step back towards the door, obviously wanting to leave.

“Not even a meal? I fix a really good cherry pie.” Grace tries. 

“Thanks for the offer, but I really think I should be going.” Nesbin stresses, taking another step back. 

“Well, at least let me walk you out.” I pipe in. She looks at me gratefully. “It’s the least I can do.” 

“Well I suppose I can allow that.” She says. I lead her to the door, then we walk together out to her Tardis. 

“Where are you from, if you’re not from earth?” I ask the question that’s been nagging at the back of my mind.

“I’m a time lady from Gallifrey.” She answers.

“And you came here alone?”

“Yes.” She answers. 

I nod. “Well, you know where to find me if you ever want to come visit.”

“Alright.” She nods in agreement, stepping into her ship. “See ya later.” She says, closing the door. I watch as the ship fades into nothing, making a vorp-vworp sound as it does. I blink in shock, reaching out, but there’s only air. She’s gone.

“Honey, is that lady still here? I’ve got something I want to give her.” My wife calls from the door of the house.

“No, she just left.” I say, turning to join her inside. I’m  _ home. _


End file.
